Kaduna Residents Lambast Governor Uba Sani Over Hajj Trip With El-Rufai While Terrorists Attack Several Communities

According to a report by SaharaReporters, some residents of Kaduna State have slammed the State Governor, Uba Sani.

They accused Governor Uba Sani of being insensitive to the killings and kidnappings of the people in Birnin Gwari by the bandits after he followed the immediate past governor, Nasir El-Rufai to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

They described the action of the governor and deafening silence of the state government toward the tragic incident as absurd, ridiculous and unacceptable.

Both El-Rufai and Sani were sighted in Mecca while performing Hajj leaving the residents at home at the mercy of the terrorists.

El-Rufai was accused of still being in charge and for meddling in the affairs of the state by taking key decisions for the incumbent governor at the expense of the state.

He was said to be running the affairs of the state behind the scene using the incumbent governor as cover up to carry out his own personal agenda.

SaharaReporters gathered that El-Rufai had continued to lurk around the new governor shortly after the inauguration in the name of godfather contrary to his statement that he would leave the state.

Recall that the former governor left the state with over $500million foreign debt.

A source who spoke to SaharaReporters said, “The former governor took Uba Sani to different embassies in Abuja like Embassy of Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia looking for support. They went to those countries to inform them that Muslim/Muslim leadership has come to stay so that they can get support. He did it to the extent that he declared Friday as work free day.

"As we speak, El-Rufai and Uba Sani are in Mecca while bandits are killing and kidnapping our people in Birnin Gwari. Look at what is happening in Birnin-Gwari. This is farming season, almost all the farmers cannot go back to their farms. Initially the bandits were charging levies that communities should pay N10million for them to be allowed to go to the farm. You find a community gathering money to give bandits to enable them go to farm. It is that bad.”

"Killings have returned to Birnin-Gwari. People are being killed and kidnapped. The expectation of the people in Kaduna is that security should be prioritized and must be given immediate and urgent attention from day one because people have lost confidence in the previous government,” another resident said.

There have been outcries of killings and uprising of insecurity across the state particularly Giwa, Chikun, Igabi, Kajuru Kangon Kataf and many others.

According to another resident who identified himself as Rabiu Musa, “What we are saying is that in Kaduna state now you cannot say if El-Rufai has relinquished power as governor or he is still the de facto governor meanwhile Uba Sani is the elected Governor but he cannot take decision on his own. El-Rufai takes key decisions on policy issues in the state. Most of the key decisions on government policy are made with inputs of El-Rufai.”

Musa faulted El-Rufai for reneging on his statement that he would not stay in Kaduna after the handover. He said the former governor was frustrated owing to the fact that he had been neglected and nobody considered him for any appointment at the federal level.

"Remember when he was speaking at a function he said he would not come back to Kaduna. He has not been considered at the Federal level and nobody is even talking about him and as a result of that there is nothing to hold on to than Kaduna State Government,” Musa added.

The residents also slammed him for what they described as fraudulent sale of government houses by Kaduna State Government, through the state’s Property Development Company (KSDPC) which rendered many civil servants who have lived most of their lives there and had hoped the houses would be their retirement homes homeless and distressed.

Musa said no fewer than 4,400 government houses were sold during El-Rufai’s tenure without any legislative approval and due process and without compensating those who initially bidded and bought those houses.

Findings also revealed that some of the El-Rufai's kinsmen are presently occupying key positions in Uba Sani's cabinet as part of a strategy to ensure that the governor did their bidding.

Some of the kinsmen of the former governor are occupying key positions in Uba Sani's cabinet such as Secretary to the State Government (SSG), the Commissioner for Internal security, the Commissioner of Finance and others.

The state is now facing the burden of huge foreign debt and expected to be paid through federal allocation commencing from June 2023.